In-circuit test (ICT) is a procedure used for testing printed circuit boards (PCBs). Using ICT equipment it is possible to gain access to the circuit nodes on a PCB and measure the performance of the components, checking for shorts, opens, resistance, capacitance, and other basic quantities that indicate whether the assembly was correctly fabricated. ICT equipment typically includes an ICT fixture that interfaces with the PCB and a measuring unit connected to the ICT fixture. In order to carry out the test it is necessary to gain access to each node on the PCB. A common way of achieving this is to generate a “bed of nails” ICT fixture. The term bed of nails is a graphic description of what many fixtures look like, having a large number of test points or probes protruding from a board that holds them in place. Traditional bed of nails ICT fixtures require the manufacture of a complex mechanical device having an array of pin-like probes inserted into holes in an acrylic plate connected to the measuring unit by wires, or wirelessly. By pressing the PCB under test against the array of probes, reliable contact can be quickly and simultaneously made with hundreds or even thousands of individual test points within the circuitry of the PCB. The PCB may either be pulled down under the action of a vacuum or it may be achieved mechanically, thus pulling the PCB downwards onto the array of probes.
Flux residues present on the test points of the PCB results in contamination of the ICT fixture probes. This can result in faulty probe contact with the test point, increased test time and test cycle count, and reduction in over all device under test yield. Accordingly, it is necessary to periodically clean the probes of the ICT fixture. A common cleaning method is to identify contaminated probes on the ICT fixture, spray cleaning solvent on the probe heads and use a cleaning cloth or brush to scrub the probe heads. Each of these steps is typically performed manually. To properly access the probes for cleaning, a top plate of the ICT fixture is removed to expose an upper portion of the probes, as shown in FIG. 1. Without the top plate, the exposed portions of the probe are not structurally supported. Care is required so as to minimize damaging or bending the probes while scrubbing. As such this is a tedious and time consuming process.